When World's Collide
by Prayer Reverie
Summary: [Updated, AU] Follow Kira and his rebellion as they fight for freedom, peace and their very lives. "The Winds of Silence"
1. Trouble has Just Begun

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED. What a world!_**

There was fire, fire that raged everywhere. A casual glance around could reveal no building left untouched by the fire. There were sounds everywhere, sounds of battle, and sounds of wailing and crying. Babies crying, mothers crying, sisters crying, sons and fathers fighting. And dieing. Armored men clanking as they ran around, slaughtering everyone on a whim and showing no mercy. The fires cast multiple shadows, making it impossible to tell where the figures struck from.

No one could get a good look, but there was only one nation brash enough to attack defenseless villages and their inhabitants. Or maybe it was for revenge. Having dispatched one man who tried to put up a valiant fight, a soldier stepped past the cooling corpse and raised his sword, having spotted a lone figure, huddling among the ruins of a house. A boy stepped in front of the man's target, the boy's sister. Both men froze for an instant as the fire was just right to light up just enough of all three of their faces. Familiar faces, at least to the two men.

And all around them, the sounds of the battle could be heard, people crying out in pain as they were cut down, the fire as it raged across the village, and more wailing from infants and children. The defender was just as shocked as the attacker, and the sword lowered just a bit. An explosion marked the end of another building, and the soldier used that as an excuse to leave without striking down either villager.

The boy stood in his place, still shocked at seeing a face that he'd never thought to see in these gruesome conditions.

_It can't be …_

And suddenly the boy woke up, drenched in sweat. The dream was so vivid, so real, every aspect. He dreamed about it every night, every night since it had actually happened. Every detail in his dream, copied exactly from the horrifying experience. The one day that had changed his life forever.

The day his village was attacked. The day almost everyone he knew, died. The day that …

He clutched his forehead in a vain attempt to squash the thoughts before they could re-emerge and take control.

"Commander?" a male voice interrupted.

The man looked around the dark tent for a second before focusing on a black shadow, barely illuminated by the minimal light from outside.

"Scouts have just reported back, they told me it was urgent that they speak with you." The man continued he was used to doing this, almost every night.

Sighing, the man addressed as 'Commander' got out of his bed and stood up. His eyes closed for a second as he purged his dreams.

"I'll be right there, thank you. Did you tell her yet?" He replied, his voice sounding loud in his own ears.

Anyone new in the camp might have been confused by the lack of names the Commander provided when asking questions. But this man had been with the Commander since the beginning, and knew the person in question.

"I was going to tell her next."

"Good, carry on."

The informant nodded and left the Commander. His eyes snapped open, and he quickly dressed himself in leather boots, pants and a tunic. Stepping outside his tent, he squinted his eyes as they adjusted the light levels, dim as is was. There was major cloud cover, blocking out the almost full moon overhead.

Looking around, he saw three men enter a larger tent. He hoped it was good news the scouts had, and not bad news. But it was always bad news. He felt a head lean on his right shoulder and heard a soft moan of tiredness. Looking down, he saw who it was.

She had shoulder length blonde hair and honey brown eyes. She was wearing a red shirt and green pants with reinforced leather boots. It was his sister and second in command, Cagalli.

"Come on Kira, they're waiting, and I want to know what happened." She said, tugging his arm.

He nodded and they entered the tent where the three scouts were waiting. As they stepped through the door flaps, the men jumped to attention and saluted their top leaders. Kira irritably waved their salutes and told them to sit down. The men sat back down around an oblong circular table. There were various maps and papers on the table, from previous planning sessions.

"Your report?" no time for preamble, he had to know the news.

"Almost five days ago one of the Zaft armies attacked the Teldrassil Village with no warning and no mercy. We guessed their targets and tried to warn them all, but Teldrassil was the last on our list. Those that we did warn either did not believe us or refused to leave, figuring that the army would show mercy. We came upon the battle just as it started. It was a brutal slaughter." One of them said.

"Who led the army?" Kira asked.

"For certain in was Duel. No mistaking his style of combat, both personally and the directions the army received. The battle was over in less than two hours and the army moved on 20 minutes after that. We checked for survivors but there were none. Every house, barn, shed, anything standing was on fire, and all of the livestock were killed as well. Nothing that had lived before the attack was living afterwards."

The news hit Kira like a brick. It wasn't new, reports of villages razed to the ground and their people slaughtered were too common nowadays. But to learn that Duel, perhaps the most ambitious of the five, had led the attack personally made Kira clench his fists in anger.

Cagalli sighed in sadness, Kira and the one they called Duel had a very fierce rivalry. Kira had inflicted a wound upon the other man almost two years ago, and there had been several times when Duel went out of his way and attempt to repay Kira tenfold.

"And what about the rumors we've been hearing about the consolidation?" Cagalli asked, changing the subject so hopefully Kira wouldn't get angrier.

The scouts paused for a second. Describing a brutal slaughter of innocents was not the most pleasant thing to do, but then to quickly move onto some unfounded rumor made it even worse. But they all had jobs to do.

"We didn't have a chance to dig into that, Duel is only two days away from the next village." The second man said.

"Did you warn them?" Kira asked.

It was a pointless question, and all of them knew it, but most of them would be able to sleep better if they explained the situation and got it off their chests.

"We did, but most of them refused to leave. Those that did heed the warning simply went to different villages." The first one replied.

"What can we do? There's no way we can assemble and mobilize in two days, and even if we could, we wouldn't be a match for one army, much less all of theirs!" the third scout complained.

"There is nothing we can do for them anymore, except pray for their souls. Our newest recruits will be finished their training in a few days. We'll send out raiding parties to attack their outlying forts to gather supplies and hopefully draw more to our cause." Kira explained.

Cagalli studied her brother for a minute. He was her twin, and neither of them was sure which one of them was older. She constantly stated that she was the older one, but she didn't know for sure. He was several inches taller than her, with a more muscular build that started from when he was a child. His eyes were violet in color and his hair brown, and while shorter than hers, it looked more scraggly.

Of the few things they shared in common, one was the fire that burned inside of them, it drove them both. It had been almost five years since their village had been attacked and destroyed. Five years since that fateful day.

Five years since Kira had stopped being a kind hearted boy and started becoming a leader of men. Five years since Cagalli had secretly vowed revenge and joined her brother. Those five years were filled with lonely and depressing nights, frigid days, early mornings following late nights and too much pain, both physical and mental.

Kira had asked her many times since that day to leave for Orb, a neutral country and nation, to live in peace. He didn't want to see her hurt. She had told him every single time that she would stay by his side and fight with him. Kira made her swear it wasn't for revenge but rather for the preservation of life. She agreed, but swore revenge in secret anyways.

She turned to the three men, now all standing and arguing with each other to figure out a good plan to stop the rampaging armies. Most scouts she had ever encountered were independent people with plans and actions that suited a very small group. Kira was the leader of a large group of people and sought tactics that would benefit them all, which countered the scout's suggestions.

Unfortunately, boys were boys and they had to be right all of the time. Cagalli rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Shut up!" she yelled.

They all looked at her, the scouts in surprise, and Kira with a smile. Before any of them could continue, a man entered the tent, an intent look in his eyes and a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He was tall and almost 28 years old, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He attracted many ladies attention and was also well-built.

"Kid, we've found something I think you're going to want to see." He said.

Mu La Flaga was one of the few people that didn't refer to Kira as 'Commander'. He was the leader of the "Endymion Hawks", a special unit that defected four years back and has been of great assistance since. Mu was like an older brother to almost everyone in the camp, and his knowledge was invaluable, especially to Kira, who saw the older man as a mentor.

"What is it?" Kira asked, thankful for the excuse to stop arguing with the stubborn scouts.

Mu looked at the scouts questioningly, and Kira took the hint. He turned to the three men.

"Thank you for the reports, you are dismissed, talk to the quartermaster for your payment as usual." Kira said, dismissing the scouts for the night and much of the next day.

They saluted again and Kira sighed tiredly as he returned it half-heartedly. All three men left with a little more bounce to their step as Kira turned back to Mu. Cagalli moved to her brother's side.

Neither of them spoke first so Kira raised his eyebrows in question, prompting Mu to smile even more.

"It's a surprise Kid, and I think you'll like it. At any rate it shouldn't really be discussed here." Mu said, confusing Kira and Cagalli a little.

Motioning them to follow him, Mu started at a brisk walk as the twins jogged to catch up to him. Kira caught Mu's arm and swung him around. Mu didn't miss a step as he turned and continued to walk backwards, facing Kira.

"Well?" Kira asked.

"Like I said, it's a surprise. But don't worry because only the Hawks know about it." Mu replied, grinning now.

Kira shook his head in disbelief as Cagalli giggled lightly. He eyed her and she eyed him back, her giggling not ceasing. Mu faced forward again and continued to lead them.

-

Echoing footsteps were heard from the hallway. The large doors opened to admit a single man inside. He saluted, bowed and moved forward, stopping 10 feet from the throne, and kneeled down, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Highness, Duel reports another village destroyed." He reported.

Patrick Zala sat on his throne, his short-cut grey hair barely visible underneath his ornate crown. He inspected the young man still kneeling in front of the throne. The boy had shoulder-length dark blue hair and was of an athletic build, and Patrick knew from experience that his son had green eyes.

"Stand, Athrun." He ordered. His son did so.

"I guess there really was no stopping Yzak from his rampage, was there?"

"Yzak needs to let loose every once and a while, otherwise he starts to take it out on us. But we could have sent Buster or Blitz with him." Athrun agreed.

"Dearka would probably go along with Yzak's plan for the hell of it and Nichol is too soft spoken to effectively override Yzak. Perhaps we should have sent the great Aegis?" Patrick explained.

"Me? I hardly think Yzak would follow my orders, he'd probably do just the opposite to annoy me." Athrun countered.

Patrick laughed at Athrun's tone of voice concerning his teammate and fellow leader.

"His tenacity and ambition is something he learned from his mother. Yzak may be stubborn, but when he sees a sound plan, he will agree with it."

"Or a plan that allows him to run free across the country side." Athrun added.

"Ha! Those are his favorite. He considered it a reward for all of his hard service these past few years."

"You ordered this rampage? Father, isn't that going a little too far for revenge?" Athrun demanded a little horrified that his father ordered Yzak to do those things.

But these orders had been coming more and more frequently. All of the armies had participated at least three times this year alone in the razing of over a dozen villages each time one army went out. Duel, the man known to his friends and superiors as Yzak Jule, took it upon himself to participate in more slaughters as time went on.

Athrun knew it wasn't because Yzak particularly enjoyed slaughtering people who may be innocent, in fact, they didn't provide much of a challenge which usually annoyed the leader more, but rather because he hoped to find their enemy, the Strike, and pay him back for all the past injustices.

Any humor left in Patrick fled immediately and his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Athrun, it has been over five years. Five years and we still haven't caught her killers! FIVE YEARS AND STRIKE IS STILL OUT THERE!" Patrick roared.

Athrun stepped back in fear. His father had a large temper nowadays, and it was better to have a little more breathing room, even if it meant showing fear. But part of his words made sense. Unfortunately, the rest seemed like they were born from madness.

"Father, I know you still grieve for Mother, as do I, but killing Strike will not change the fact that she is dead." Athrun said in a neutral tone, hoping not to anger his father more.

"Who said anything about killing Strike? He is to be captured so that I may torture him until I am satisfied! Now go."

Athrun bowed again and left the throne room. As the doors shut, a figure stepped out of the shadows from behind the throne Patrick sat up.

"Perhaps the young one is correct, Highness." He said with respect.

Patrick didn't bother to turn to face the man; he knew it was Rau Le Creuset, call sign Providence, the Grand Commander of the Armies of Zaft, and commander of the Providence Army.

"Maybe he is, but we won't find out until I have Strike's little whimpering body in my hands. Lenore was more than a Queen, she was my Queen, and no one can replace her."

Rau stepped into Patrick's view, confirming what Patrick already knew. In his early thirties, Rau had shoulder-length blond hair and a mask that covered his eyes, nose and most of his forehead. It had become the symbol of the Providence Army, an insignia that set them apart from the other five elite armies

"Don't mind the musings of this one, your Highness, I meant no disrespect." Rau said, apologizing

"Of course you don't Rau. Now go, inform Athrun about Siegel's impeding visit." Patrick dismissed his right-hand man with a wave.

Rau bowed and exited the room in the same manner as Athrun. The boy hadn't gone far from the throne room, Rau heard Athrun's footsteps echo through the hallway and quickly caught up to him.

"Athrun." Rau said, catching the boy's attention.

He turned to salute his superior. Rau saluted back quickly and motioned for the boy to walk with him. Athrun did so, walking to the left and just a half-step behind the Grand Commander as a sign of respect.

"You know of Lord Clyne's visit?" the masked man asked.

"I do, and I look forward to it. It has been a while since their last visit to our kingdom." Athrun replied, putting some truth behind his words.

Rau smiled, knowing why Athrun was genuinely happy for once. Lacus Clyne, the beautiful young daughter of Siegel Clyne, was engaged to Athrun, a marriage arranged by their fathers as a symbol of unity throughout the lands.

But to Athrun it was more. Lacus was someone whom everyone could love. She was appreciative of every good deed, but with Athrun commanding the Aegis army, it was harder for him to coordinate with the less frequent visits from his fiancée.

Lacus and Athrun had met as children at the Copernicus School, a place for gifted youngsters. Athrun had been called back after attending for a mere four years, and after that started his military training alongside Yzak, Dearka and Nichol under the tutelage of Rau.

The young Lacus had stayed at Copernicus until her schooling was complete and then she traveled back to her own kingdom to help her father with state matters. When they were told of the arranged marriage, both were a little apprehensive about the entire matter, and both Siegel and Patrick elected not to mention the name of the other.

Thus, it was quite a pleasant surprise when Athrun and Lacus found out who they were supposed to marry, and suddenly it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Neither of them had any actual knowledge of the courting rituals, but they both went with the flow of things and enjoyed their precious time together.

Although Lacus had learned to love Athrun, the boy couldn't help but feel at times as if she loved another with all of her heart. As her friend and future husband, he wanted her to be happy, but at the same time, he lacked the courage to ask her if she was truly happy. Perhaps he had grown too comfortable with the situation to fully care about it, perhaps not.

"Lacus has grown a lot since you first met her, hasn't she?" Rau asked, interrupting Athrun from his thoughts.

"We all have grown Commander." Athrun replied neutrally.

Rau chuckled at Athrun's nervousness; the boy wasn't too sure to what Rau was referring too. Indeed Lacus inhabited the fantasies of many men, noble or otherwise, but she remained faithful to her husband-to-be.

They continued to walk down the hallways, wandering through the palace.

"His Highness believes that we are near the end of the war, with the upcoming marriage that will unify the lands and the actions of the five armies of Zaft. He believes that Strike will soon be dead, by his hands or another's." Rau continued, changing the subject.

"I wish I could believe as my father did, but my doubts plague me like dreams. I fear that harm will befall Lacus, and that Strike will gain more support as time goes on. I would do nearly anything to end the destructive rampages, but I know in my heart there is much fighting to do yet." Athrun replied sadly.

And they kept on walking.

-

"Alright Mu, what's the surprise?" Kira demanded.

It was about the fourth time Kira had tried to ascertain their destination and the previous three times he had failed, and rather miserably. This time was no different.

"You'll see Kid." Came the exact reply as the other three times.

Cagalli was curious as well, but she enjoyed watching Kira grow frustrated with Mu's lack of information. It obviously wasn't anything bad, otherwise Mu would have told them and they'd be in their battle gear by now.

But they had been walking for nearly thirty minutes. Where ever Mu was taking them, it wasn't a well-known place. Kira thought he recognized some of the unique foliage patterns, he was sure he'd been here at least once. Cagalli on the other hand was clueless as to where they were.

"Can you at least tell us where we are, or where we're going?" Cagalli asked.

Mu thought about if for a few seconds, then shrugged.

"Some people call it the Grove of Stars; I've passed by it a few times with the Hawks." He told them.

"So why are we going there?" Kira asked, hoping to get an answer.

"Geez Kid, you don't give up do you? No surprise there, but I won't tell you." Mu answered.

"Why not?" Kira demanded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Because I'll show you." Mu gestured off to the side, showing them what he was talking about.

It was the edge of a small cliff, maybe twenty feet tall. At the bottom was a beautiful scene, flourishing trees surrounding a small and calm pond, and wild flowers growing everywhere. The moon had finally broken through the cloud cover, the light shining down and illuminating nearly everything.

Kira looked at Mu with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Just look." Mu said. Kira sighed and turned to look.

Cagalli frowned and moved beside Kira as he looked down. To her, it was just a bunch of trees and plants, nothing special about it. But there had to be something, why else would Mu drag them out so far?

A beautiful sight indeed, and as Kira's eyes scanned over the Grove, he noticed something was out of place. It wasn't anything bad, but Kira looked again to see what it was. He looked more closely, eyeing everything twice and filing the details away, just to be sure.

Finally, he spotted it. The Grove was full of natural beauty and Kira saw why it took him so long to finally register what he was seeing. The object in question was just as beautiful, if not more so. Then a sudden notion struck him, and this wasn't a good one either. He turned to face Mu.

"Well?" Mu prompted.

"Are you crazy?!" he asked, raising his voice.

"Uh … yes?" Mu was utterly mystified at Kira's change.

"Do you have any idea what Zaft will do if they find out? Geez, we're trying to end the war without us getting wiped out, and this won't help. How could you even think about doing this?" Kira continued.

Mu caught on to what Kira was talking about.

"Woah there Kid, slow down. Gale was on his way back from patrol with his team when they heard something. They investigated and alerted me and the rest of the Hawks. I, in turn, found you and Cagalli. Whatever happened, it happened without our interference." Mu explained.

"This could still turn out very badly." Kira muttered.

"Alright, what the hell are you two talking about?" Cagalli asked, confused.

"Err, Mu will explain. I'm going down."

"Kira!" Cagalli said.

But it was too late; Kira had already leapt off the short cliff.

* * *

_Well, here it is, another story. I was planning on doing _Phase Zero_ first, but there was such a positive outcry for _When World's Collide_. Oh well, I guess I canstill manage to do them both at the same time. Please keep in mind this will semi-follow SEED's storyline ... but not completely. Please always Review after reading!_

_Thanks, Prayer_


	2. The Hole that is the Boy She Once Knew

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED, nor Gundam SEED Destiny. Maybe in my next life._**

**_

* * *

_**"I'm gonna be the one that's taking over  
Now this is what it's like When Worlds Collide!" - Powerman 5000

* * *

_"You look lonely, why?" a girl's voice made the boy jump._

_"Huh?" he replied stupidly._

_He looked at her for a moment, squinting his eyes to see past the bright afternoon sun. She was most likely his age, and she was wearing a pink dress that went along with her long pink hair._

_"You're sitting here all alone, why is that?" she asked again._

_She eyed him carefully, watching him as he sat on the grass, back leaning on the chain-link fence, left leg extended while the right one was bent at the knee, providing a resting place for his right arm. He was wearing grey pants and a white t-shirt._

_"I was told that I shouldn't talk to strangers." He said._

_"Well then, let's introduce ourselves so we won't be strangers!" the girl clapped excitedly._

_"Sure, my name is Kira, Kira Yamato."_

_"I am Lacus Clyne. It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Yamato."_

_He laughed. "Call me Kira."_

_"My father taught me to be respectful to men." She told him._

_"And my mother told me to be nice to everyone, especially girls."_

_"Well, now that we know each other, let's be friends!" she announced proudly._

_"Uh … okay." Kira said slowly, not used to being around such a straightforward person._

_"Ooh! I know something we can do!" she said suddenly._

_"Uh … and that would be?" Kira asked._

_"We'll be secret friends, no one will know, how does that sound?" Lacus smiled._

_To Kira, it sounded like a very good thing. Having a secret friend, it made him feel special, like he had a prize that no one else had._

_"I like it." He agreed._

_Unfortunately, before they could continue on, the bell rang, signaling the end of their free time. It was time to go back to class, back to being friendless. But that wasn't quite true anymore, now he had a friend. He was happy._

_The kids filed inside the school, and Lacus went off to her class. Kira sat down at his usual desk as he tried to hide his smile. Their teacher came in and settled the class down before starting the lesson._

_"Today I am going to pair you all up, to work on a project that will hopefully teach you the value of friendship."_

_The 7-year old kids looked around the room and at each other, nervous about having to work with strangers. The teacher paired them off one by one until he came to Kira's name._

_"Kira Yamato will work with … let's see here … Athrun Zala."_

_Kira looked around for the boy in question and jumped as someone tapped his shoulder._

_"I'm Athrun." The boy introduced himself._

_"Kira." Kira replied._

_Athrun dragged his desk over to Kira's and sat down across from the brown-haired boy. As soon as the entire class was paired up, the teacher handed out the assignment._

_"You are all tasked with making a charm of any shape or size. Resources are left up to you, but don't do anything stupid or crazy."_

Well this won't be too bad_ Kira decided._

_"Hey, I know the perfect place to look …" Athrun whispered, leaning in close._

_"Something to say Mister Zala?" the teacher asked._

_Athrun flushed bright red in embarrassment and sunk low in his seat muttering an apology. Class continued on as usual, but Kira seemed a lot happier than before, and not without good reason. Today he had just made two friends, and he intended to be friends with them for life._

_Athrun and Kira spent the rest of the day with their desks together, talking about everything whenever the teacher wasn't paying attention. And for once, it seemed as if the day ended too quickly, at least to Kira._

_True to his word, Athrun really did know a good place to look for things to use for their project. As he was searching through the junk, a thought struck Kira. _I should make one for Lacus_. He smiled, he was sure she'd like it, but he'd have to work on it in secret._

_Luck was with him as he found two very good items, a thin gold chain – perfect to use for Lacus -, and a polished Tiger's tooth for Athrun. He looked for a little while longer, pocketing the chain so Athrun wouldn't see it. Athrun himself made a few discoveries, but wouldn't tell Kira what he found._

_And right before the two friends were going to leave, fortune struck Kira again. He found a tear-drop shaped sapphire, the color of Lacus' eyes. _Perfect!_ He thought triumphantly._

_"Kira, come on, we don't want to get in trouble." Athrun warned, standing several feet away and looking around._

_"Coming." Kira replied cheerfully, putting the gem in his pocket._

_The class had one week to finish their charms before presenting them to their respective partners. Kira had no idea what Athrun had planned, but Athrun didn't know what Kira was up to either, and that was just the way it was supposed to be._

_Finally the day came, and in a flurry of exchanges, the charms changed hands and squeals of joy were heard all throughout the school. Kira went first._

_"You can turn it into a wrist-chain, or into just a regular chain." Kira explained, pulling out the polished tooth by a nice silver chain._

_"Wow, cool! Thanks Kira!" Athrun said, wrapping it around his left wrist. "Neato! Oh, and now for yours."_

_Athrun pulled out his own completed charm, a blood red ruby ring attached to a thin gold chain._

_"I think it's a little big for our hands, so I found the chain so you can wear it around your neck."_

_Kira accepted the gift and slid it over his head._

_"Athrun, you are my best friend." He announced._

_"Mine too." Athrun agreed._

_The two became best of friends, working on projects together, eating together, and even defending each other from bullies. The friendship that had formed between the two seven year olds was seemingly invincible._

_Two years passed in a frighteningly short amount of time. True to his word, Kira never breathed a word about Lacus to Athrun or anyone else. But one fateful day, Athrun confronted Kira._

_"What is it Athrun?" Kira asked worriedly._

_A nine year old Athrun looked down at the ground for a moment and then brought his sad face into view._

_"I have to go home." Athrun said._

_"But why? Aren't you having fun here? Is it something I did?" he asked, confused._

_"I don't know why, it's something my father demanded, and I have to listen to him. I'm sorry Kira, and I'll try to come back if I can." Athrun tried to explain._

_"Will we ever meet again?" Kira asked, hoping for a good answer._

_"I'll make sure of it, but incase we somehow don't, at least we've still got our charms."_

_Kira had to agree, it would be the only way to remember his best friend. He clutched the ruby chain hiding beneath his black shirt. Athrun undid the chain from his wrist and re-attached it around his neck, sliding the tooth beneath his own blue shirt._

_"Goodbye Kira, my friend."_

_That day had torn Kira apart; he wasn't sure why or how his best friend would leave. Luckily, Lacus was there for him, and consoled him, telling him that he would see Athrun again._

_A year passed and Kira was called home as well, to help the family. Like Athrun, Kira didn't really have a choice, and though he was happy that he was going to see his family again, he didn't want to leave Lacus all alone._

_"It's okay Kira, I'll never forget you." Lacus told him._

_He stared at the ground, scratching his head._

_"What is it?" she prompted._

_"Err, well I was going to give this to you three years ago, but I was just so nervous. Now I don't have a choice." He said, looking up and holding the sapphire chain he had made three years ago._

_"Oh Kira, it's beautiful!"_

_He undid the clasp and gently put it around her neck._

_"Now you'll always have something to remember me by." He said._

_"But I don't have anything for you … I know!"_

_She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, a blush creeping up on both their faces._

_"I'll always remember you Lacus, my first friend." They came together and hugged a little awkwardly._

Kira was pulled out of his thoughts as he landed, rolling as soon as his feet touched ground. He came out of his roll and ran silently towards his target, his objective. _Mu,_ he thought angrily, _if you've lied to me …_

Really, he had no doubts about Mu's honesty, but it was too coincidental, the timing to good. Zaft was up to something, Kira was sure of that. The last reports the scouts brought in was the third time this month that Duel had mercilessly razed a village.

Closing to within ten feet, he slowed to a stop and surveyed his surroundings for an instant. He was still unnoticed, so throwing caution to the wind; he stepped out of the trees.

"Lacus."

And back into Lacus Clyne's life.

-

"So did you have fun?" came a sarcastic voice.

"Fun with what?" Yzak demanded, turning to see who dared talk to him.

"Your joyride slaughter." Athrun said bitterly.

"I do what I'm ordered to do, like a proper soldier. I set an example for my troops."

"And setting a good example involves volunteering for mass-murder?"

"Hey guys, anything the matter here?" Dearka asked, interrupting Athrun and Yzak.

"No, no problem." Yzak replied, glaring at Athrun before turning on his heel to leave.

"Athrun, you should know better than to piss Yzak off, especially after a mission." Nichol reminded him.

"I'll go talk to him." Dearka volunteered, if a little grumpily.

Athrun and Nichol turned the other way and started to walk. Dearka soon disappeared from sight.

"I'm getting worried Athrun, this war is just heating up. Strike won't stand for this much longer." Nichol said suddenly.

"Especially if my father keeps ordering these missions." Athrun muttered in return.

"And there's that as well. I didn't sign on to kill innocent people, simple villagers trying to make their way in life." Nichol agreed.

"The only way to end this war quickly is to find Strike and deal with him, but so far Strike has eluded all attempts to capture him, even going so far as to actually scar Yzak." Athrun said.

"I heard that Commander Le Creuset and His Highness were thinking of several ways to lure Strike out to the open and deal with him once and for all." Nichol informed him.

"Strike has eluded all previous attempts, so whatever they have planned, they'd best do it soon, before Yzak goes off for another rampage …"

Nichol nodded in agreement.

Dearka caught up with Yzak and was out of earshot of Athrun and Nichol, who had both turned around.

"Yzak, slow down!"

"What do you want?" Yzak snapped off.

"Woah, geez man, calm down," Dearka said defensively, holding his hands up.

"I'm in no mood Dearka." Yzak said grumpily.

"You're never in any mood, except anger, for the last two years." Dearka said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Yzak asked, his temper boiling.

"Ever since Strike gave you that scar, you've been out on a mission, rampaging across the lands looking for him. I'm not saying you shouldn't get revenge, but there may be other ways to go about it."

"Now you're sounding like Blitz, or Aegis." He seethed.

"Look, just because you can take mission after mission doesn't mean your troops can. I know you've had a hand in training them, but not all of them have the same drive, the desire, behind their actions. Most of the combined armies are people who just want to defend their family and homes."

"And what of it? The best defense is a good offense." Yzak quoted.

Dearka paused for a second, and before he could speak, Yzak spoke again.

"Ah, what do you care?" he walked off, leaving Dearka standing there with a bewildered look.

Finally, the tan army leader shook his head in disbelief and left as well.

-

"Lacus." Lacus looked around at the mention of her name.

She was sure there was no one else in this nice little secluded area; it was why she had chosen it as her hiding spot.

"Lacus." The male voice repeated, more firmly this time, leaving no doubts about her imagination playing tricks on her.

_I know that voice, but I haven't heard it in a long time _she thought, her hand unconsciously clutching the sapphire pendant around her neck. Finally, it seemed as if a shadow suddenly appeared, and in front of it a tall boy.

She stared hard at the sudden appearance. The moonlight shone down around them, lighting the grove enough that she could see some of the little details. Brown hair, violet eyes …

"Mister Yamato?"

He turned his head to look at the ground.

"I told you, you can call me Kira."

"Kira!" she screamed happily, jumping up and hugging him tightly.

Kira certainly didn't expect a hug, and was speechless. Finally, something clicked in his brain and he hugged her back.

"My god, how long has it been?" Lacus asked, releasing Kira.

"Eight years." He replied sadly.

"Eight years! Well, what have you been doing? And what are you doing here?" questions flowed from Lacus like water in a waterfall.

_She doesn't know … well there's no way she could know._

"Uh …" he started slowly.

She noticed his obvious hesitation.

"I'm sorry, I may have asked something too personal, but it's just been so long!" she apologized.

"It's alright Lacus; it's not your fault."

Despite the years that had passed, Lacus had stayed the same kind and caring girl that Kira knew from Copernicus, too bad he couldn't say the same about himself.

"It might not be too safe out here; we can talk back at camp." Kira offered, some of his old self showing.

Cagalli and Mu watched from their vantage point. She had finally noticed what Kira and Mu were talking about, and asked Mu many questions in the time it took Kira to get to Lacus. Now the two old friends were both standing and talking about something, but Cagalli couldn't hear or read their lips.

"What do you think they're talking about?" she asked Mu, not taking her eyes off of her brother's form.

"Not too sure." Mu replied absently, looking around everywhere.

Cagalli frowned. "Not too sure? Why not? And why do you keep looking around like that?"

Instead of replying, Mu let out a mournful sounding wolf howl that echoed through the grove and the trees. Lacus looked around, and Cagalli could see Kira's eyes narrow as he put his arm around her shoulder and started to guide her towards the cliff and the small steps carved into the wall.

She was about to ask why Mu did that when three short barks came back, seemingly in reply to the howl. Now she was really confused.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Gale disappeared, I thought Zaft might be moving in, but we're safe." He explained.

She looked at him questioningly.

"For now." He added.

"So what now?" she asked.

"We're heading back to base."

The Hawks quickly assembled and Mu sent Gale and his partner ahead. By the time the other two Hawks along with Mu and Cagalli reached the man-made carved stairs Kira and Lacus were already at the top, the former waiting for them rather impatiently.

"This can still turn out bad." Kira said.

"We play what we're dealt Kid, now let's go." Mu replied

They resumed walking, heading towards their camp. Lacus leaned over to Kira's ear to whisper something.

"Who are these people?"

Kira felt like smacking himself to rid himself of his stupidity. How could he forget to introduce his few close friends?

"Lacus, this is Cagalli, my sister," he started, pointing to Cagalli.

Cagalli turned around.

"Hi." Lacus said, shaking Cagalli's offered hand.

"And this is Mu." He finished.

"Pleased to meet you." Mu said.

A warbling bird call echoed from behind them through the woods. Kira looked at Mu, who had a worried look on his face.

"Not good." Mu muttered.

"Let's go." Kira said, scooping Lacus up in his arms quickly.

Cagalli broke into a dead run, bolting to catch up to Gale while Mu stayed with Kira and his charge. Lacus was caught off guard by everything that was going on.

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing. Everything. Something." Kira said distractedly, looking around as he and Mu ran.

Lacus knew better than to press for details, at least for now. They made it back to camp within ten minutes, and as soon as Cagalli came into sight, Mu pulled a 180 and ran back to find the other two Hawks. Kira finally let Lacus down.

"Mu went back to find the others, Lacus should be kept safe." Kira said.

Cagalli nodded, and Kira took Lacus by her hand and led her to his tent.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing." He said, turning to leave.

"Kira, wait!" Lacus called after him.

He looked back at her.

"This is Strike's camp, isn't it? And Mu is Strike, isn't he?" she asked.

"This is Strike's camp, yes." He couldn't bring himself to answer the second question.

Lacus understood his hesitation at answering the second question, and even noticed his uneasiness at the first question.

"I understand, don't worry, I won't tell a soul, living or dead, about either."

A cry echoed from the far side of the camp. "To Arms!"

Kira almost snarled as he swept one of the flaps back to walk out. Lacus was about to follow him when he faced her again.

"Stay here." he said.

She looked at him with a distressed look on her face.

"You'll be safe, I promise. Please."

She relented and nodded, and Kira left the tent, letting the flap close back into place. He looked around for a few seconds before finding Cagalli.

"Report!"

"Brigands, probably from Ghost's group." Cagalli said, handing Kira a sword.

He looked at it with a 'what-the-hell-do-I-need-this-for' expression and she rolled her eyes, sheathing the sword. A primal smile was plastered on Kira's face, making looking at him rather unsettling. He looked ready to hunt, as if he'd been born to do it.

"Fine, go and play, but you know they're going to gang up on you."

"When is Tolle due back?" Kira asked out of the blue.

Cagalli had completely forgotten that Tolle's team was still out there, on an extended recon mission. "He said he'd try for tonight, but I'm not too sure." She answered.

He nodded and ran off to join the battle.  
Lacus wandered around Kira's oddly spacious tent for at least ten minutes, glancing at the few objects present in the tent. His unmade bed, sitting messily in the middle of the floor; a small table off to the side, numerous maps strewn about the cramped space; a heavy-looking traveling trunk, open and nearly empty; three kerosene lamps hanging from the support poles, lit but barely emitting any light, their wicks burned so low.

She walked over to the nearest lamp and extended the wick just a little to add some light to the tent. Satisfied with the ambient light level, she once again surveyed his place. Still very spacious and bare, there was one thing that she hadn't noticed with the low light levels.

It was a sheaf of papers near the bed, all dog-eared and looking like they'd been read numerous times. Curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to see what they were. Intricately drawn designs filled the pages, and there were a few words on each page, most of them Lacus had never heard of before.

But five words caught her attention, on five different pages. Duel, Buster, Blitz, Aegis and Strike. The first four were the codenames of the army leaders of Zaft – one of them being Athrun, her fiancé – and the last one was the name King Zala had given his seemingly most mortal enemy.

"It's Strike!" someone yelled in anger, surprising Lacus.

She put the papers back on the floor and lowered the wick back to its original spot, plunging her into near darkness again. The battle was moving towards the Kira's tent; sounds of metal clanging against metal were heard, followed by an odd noise which sounded akin to what the sorcerers that belonged to her father's court could do.

For the second time in ten minutes, that fatal curiosity piqued her interest. She poked her head outside the tent flaps, and finding the immediate area clear, Lacus stepped out of the tent and into the open.

And immediately regretted it. As soon as she stood up straight, she was knocked to the ground by something hard. The sounds of arrows flying over her head kept her down.

"Stay down." A gruff voice warned her.

Lacus looked up to see who had so rudely knocked her down and was shocked to see an armored figure standing less than a foot away from her, casting a shadow down upon her. The armor was sleek looking, painted in white with blue and red on the chest piece and red trim on the feet, only blocky at the shoulders and the forearms. Mounted on the back was a pair of wings and … what the things on the bottom were, Lacus could only guess at.

In the figure's hands were a red shield and a mutated crossbow of some sort. The figure raised the weapon and fired three times, and three crimson bolts of energy struck three of the brigands, sending them flying backwards.

"Cagalli!" the armored figure yelled.

Kira's sister popped out of nowhere, looking rather disgruntled at the interruption.

"What?" she demanded.

"Look after Lacus." It was clear to Lacus there was a man inside.

Before Cagalli could reply, the figure's backpack emitted blue flames from near the wings and the odd things Lacus couldn't identify near Strike's hips and leapt from the ground to the sky. _He's … flying!_ Lacus was surprised and paused. Strike was flying gracefully through the air like birds and bees and butterflies did, the only exception between Strike and the rest of nature were the crimson bolts of death Strike fired at its enemies.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe." Cagalli said calmly, helping Lacus to her feet.

"Was … was that Strike?" Lacus asked.

"Yes." The blond girl replied.

Strike weaved through the air, firing crimson bolts at every target he could find and avoiding the few arrows and crossbow bolts that attempted a pathetic reply. Finally, it seemed as if the brigands had had enough, they cut their losses and left mostly in a panic. Whatever they were after – food most likely – they weren't expecting Strike to come along for the ride.

Lacus stared in awe as Strike landed smoothly and started to walk towards her and Cagalli. Strike seemed to shimmer as he walked, and Lacus understood why. Whoever was inside was reverting back to his normal self. The transformation started at the hands – the metal rolling back with an audible clanking noise - and worked its way up the arms, meeting at the chest. It split just as soon as it joined, quickly working its way down the stomach and legs while the rest of the upper chest took longer.

As the reversion took place, the man beneath the armor still calmly walked towards Cagalli and Lacus, the latter expecting to see the tall and well-built body of Mu La Flaga. She was quite surprised when Mu stepped out beside Cagalli, holding a blood-stained sword.

And finally, the helmet disappeared; it didn't roll back like the rest of the armor, to Lacus it simply disappeared from sight. The helmet, which was so lifelike with yellow eyes and a V-fin sprouting from the middle of the forehead like a crown, a chin that could have been considered a finely kept goatee and two lines across the mouth area. The helmet which covered the face of Kira Yamato.

"Kira?" Lacus asked in surprise.

* * *

_There it is! The second chapter. I would have posted it a few hours earlier but I was forced to fix my connection. Better late than never hey? Please please please Review after reading.  
Thanks to all those who did review my first chapter, as well as those who reviewed _"The Resurrected Wings"  
_P.S. I realize the first time was my fault, I rated the story 'R' not realizing FanFiction doesn't actually list the story unless the reader has me on a watch list. So again, please Review._


	3. The Raging Fires

**_Disclaimer: I donot own Gundam, or anything related under the Bandai trademark ... damn._**

"Mu, find the two fastest runners." Kira ordered.

"On it Kid." Mu replied, not asking questions, at least not yet.

"Uh Kira … messengers?" Cagalli asked.

"Ghost is a smart and cunning leader, if one his soldiers reports that they saw Lacus, he'll run to Zaft." Kira said.

"Me?" Lacus asked.

"If we send out word first telling our side, then we may survive another day. But if Ghost gets there first, they won't hold anything back and we won't survive another sunrise."

"But it'll take at least five days to get the Zaft territory and another five for word to be sent back." Cagalli protested.

"And it'll take Ghost just as long."

Mu came running back with two younger men in tow. They looked to be brothers, with similar facial features and the same black hair and brown eyes.

"These are the best runners in the camp Kid, Jay and Shaun." Mu introduced them quickly.

"Good, follow me gentlemen." Kira nodded and started off to the command tent.

"Uh … Kira?" Cagalli said.

Kira looked over his shoulder at Cagalli, who jerked her head towards Lacus. Once again, he had totally forgotten about something. He scratched his head for a second.

"Take her back to my tent; I'll be there in a few minutes."

Mu and Cagalli both nodded and led her to Kira's tent as he wrapped up his business with the runners. The trio of men entered the command tent and Kira quickly scribbled something down on two pieces of parchment.

"Take these. Jay, go to Lord Clyne's palace and give him the note. Shaun, head to King Zala and give him this note. If either man asks you about anything just tell them to read the note and for the love of us all, don't tell them anything."

Jay and Shaun nodded and left quickly. Cagalli was right when she estimated the time it would take to get to Zaft territory, and she didn't include the two days it would take to actually reach the proper destination.

Kira sighed heavily. Lord Clyne was much more understanding, that's something Lacus got from the royal man. The same could not be said about Patrick Zala, especially since the elder Zala blamed Strike for events that occurred five years ago.

Lacus popped into his mind, and he quickly left the command tent, not bothering to go over any of the plans he had made the day before or review the reports the scouts had brought in a few hours ago. He stepped through the flaps of his tent and stretched as he walked towards his bed, working out all of the many kinks that accumulated since his nightmare earlier that night.

He grunted as his shoulder made an odd popping noise, and instantly there were a pair of small hands massaging his neck and shoulders. The action surprised him, partly because he had forgotten – again! – about having a guest present.

"Thanks." He murmured appreciatively.

"Sit down on the bed, you're too tall now." She whispered in his ear.

He chuckled lightly as he sat down, unsure of which way to face. Lacus slipped her shoes off and sat cross-legged on the bed, gently massaging Kira. He could feel the tension drain wherever her hands roamed, tension that had been building for the last five years.

"You haven't done this since I dislocated my wrist punching that bully who made fun of you nine years ago." Kira said, counting the years.

"Well he received a dislocated jaw from you, so I think it was worth it." Lacus replied half-seriously.

"Anything for you my lady." He said contently.

And at that point, Lacus' hands felt very nice. His eyelids drooped with exhaustion, and he could have fallen asleep right there. In fact, he did. Lacus noticed after a few minutes of silence, only broken by the quiet whisper of breath every time Kira inhaled or exhaled.

Lacus smiled and gently lowered Kira onto his bed. She slipped his boots off and covered him with the sheets and then put her own shoes back on. Not wanting to wake the sleeping boy, Lacus quietly left his tent, standing in the cool breeze outside.

"What are you doing out here?" a concerned voice asked.

Lacus jumped as Mu stepped into view. Her heart was pounding, she hadn't heard his footsteps.

"Kira fell asleep; I didn't want to wake him up." She said quietly.

"And he didn't find you a place to sleep right? He's still a boy at heart and sometimes at mind as well. Oh well, you can sleep in my tent tonight, I'm on patrol all night long." Mu offered.

"Even after the attack?" Lacus asked.

"Especially after the attack. I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but you seem like a nice girl that won't speak her mouth off. Ghost caught us at a bad time; over half of our forces are on patrol or recon of some sort."

"And just who is Ghost? I've heard his name mention several times, and not with a lot of love."

"His name as we know it is Ghostrider, and he seems to have some sort of connection with Kira and vice versa. The man is cunning and very skilled; he leads a group of brigands operating from a base less than a days travel from here. He's never attack out of spite, but that may change soon, and he's getting to be a real thorn in everyone's side." Mu went on.

He caught himself. Here he was discussing problems with a girl who had probably never seen an actual battle before!

"But I've got to get going, please, get some rest; I daresay you've had an eventful and tiring day." Mu offered a mock salute and left to find the rest of the Endymion Hawks.

Truth be told, Lacus was tired. She asked a passerby which tent was Mu's and he quickly pointed it out before continuing on with his task. Lacus entered his tent, brightly lit and considerably neater compared to Kira's.

Mu had a single bed off to the side of the tent, and two chairs placed around a larger table. The chest near the bed was open but packed with neatly folded clothes. Hanging from a rack were several pieces of armor and an assortment of weapons, both ranged and melee types.

Slipping her shoes off once again, Lacus slid underneath the covers of Mu's well-kept bed after turning the wick down a little for softer light. Sleep claimed her in a matter of minutes, and she dreamt of Kira all night long.

-

Kira woke without opening his eyes. His hand, quick as a flash, grabbed the hand near his shoulder. With a deft flick of his feet, the covers flew off and he rolled out of bed, twisting the arm into a painful arm lock. Before his body completely rolled off, his other hand shot underneath the pillow and grabbed a small but sharp dagger. The figure was brought to his knees as his arm twisted so badly it nearly broke. And in one smooth motion, Kira snapped his eyes open as he held the dagger against his attacker's neck, pushing the blade deep, ready to slice through flesh.

"Morning buddy." The figure rasped.

Kira's vision came into focus, showing Tolle Koenig on his knees, his arm twisted painfully behind his back and a knife to his throat. Tolle's brown hair – much like Kira's – came into view first, followed by his standard armor used for scouting.

"Sorry." He mumbled, letting go of Tolle's arm and taking the knife away.

Tolle stood, rubbed his throat and then stretched his arm. Kira put the knife back under the pillow, hiding it again.

"So when did you get back?" Kira asked, breaking the silence.

"Just now." A female voice answered from behind Kira.

Kira turned to see who the voice belonged to, even though he knew who it was.

"Miriallia." He said warmly.

"Hi Kira." She greeted, giving him a quick hug before slipping her arm through Tolle's.

"So find anything useful?" Kira prompted, remembering why they were on an extended recon.

"Not one bit." Tolle replied dejectedly.

"And Sai and Kuzzey?" Kira asked.

"Sai wanted to search for a bit more, he still believes that she's alive. Kuzzey stayed with him, to help him and keep him company." Milly replied.

Kira nodded, understanding Sai's cause. Flay Alster, the feisty red-haired girl Kira met four years ago, was engaged to Sai Argyle thanks to her father. Sai vowed to protect her through thick and thin until the day he died.

Two years ago, Duel's army attacked and he and Kira fought in an insane battle that nearly killed both of them. The end result was the Zaft army retreating after they thought Strike had killed Duel. In truth, Kira had only managed to scar the leader, which left the injured man burning for revenge.

As the army retreated, Kira's forces quickly tried to ascertain who was alive and who was dead. They spent over two days searching, and the entire time they found no traces of Flay, she had simply disappeared.

Rumors popped up every once in a while, prompting Sai to keep his promise and continue his search. Tolle, Miriallia and Kuzzey went with him every time, and every time they came back empty-handed. For two years Sai refused to give up hope, and he probably never would.

Kira saw no reason to ask Sai to stop searching, it kept Sai from breaking down completely. Love complicated things, and the last thing Kira needed was more problems. Of course, he hadn't counted on Lacus suddenly dropping in, but he vowed to keep his emotional barriers, which he had been building for the last five years, intact.

"So Cagalli tells me that a bit of your past has caught up with you." Milly said mischievously, breaking into Kira's thoughts.

"That's one way of putting it." Kira replied noncommittally.

_Thanks Cagalli, thanks a lot_ he silently cursed his sister and her never-ending attempts to find him some companionship.

"I hear she's cute." Tolle said.

Milly glared at her boyfriend.

"But not as cute as you Miriallia." He finished hastily, chuckling nervously.

"So tell us about her Kira." Milly said, trying to get something out of Kira.

"Uh … well her name is Lacus, I met her while I was attending Copernicus. She really hasn't changed too much since we were children, which is probably a good thing. She's a very kind and caring person, and beautiful too, and if I remember correctly, she sings like an angel." Kira said thoughtfully.

"Sounds like Kira's in love." Tolle teased.

"Uh-wha?" Kira blurted out.

Miriallia giggled in agreement. "Listen to yourself Kira, talking that way about a girl you haven't seen for what, 10 years?"

"Eight actually." He corrected, a hint of venom creeping into his voice.

"And he's kept count of how long it's been since their last meeting." Tolle added, laughing.

Kira stuttered for words, the teasing from his close friends evidently getting under his skin.

"We're just friends." He muttered in defeat.

Milly laughed some more and Tolle punched Kira lightly on the arm.

"Lighten up bud; this could be the big break you've been waiting for! Five years of fighting Zaft can drag anyone down, but I think you're finally on the uphill!" Tolle said.

"Err, thanks." Kira replied, not quite sure of what Tolle was talking about.

"Come on, let's go get some food." Milly said, dragging Tolle out of Kira's tent.

Kira was about to follow them to the mess hall when a thought entered his head. _I wonder where Lacus is?_ Fortunately for him Cagalli appeared beside him.

"Looking for someone?" she asked, nearly reading his mind.

"Yeah, actually I'm looking for Lacus."

"The pink-haired girl you brought back to camp and then fell asleep on? She's in the mess hall with Mu." Cagalli told him nonchalantly.

"Good, I was just … wait what? 'Fell asleep on'? What's that supposed to mean?" Kira started, and then his brain caught up to him.

Cagalli giggled. "I think Milly and I have to have a talk with you on proper etiquette for taking care of guests."

Kira didn't think this day would end, and to make it worse, it had only just begun. He gathered some comfort from the fact that he still had to debrief Tolle and Milly, which he could do in private, and there were reports to go over and plans to formulate, especially in regards to Lacus.

He entered the mess hall and grabbed a tray from one of the cooks. Looking around for a place to sit, Mu caught his attention with a wave in the air and a loud "Kid! Over here!"

Mu was sitting beside Kojiro Murdock – one of their armorsmiths and weaponsmiths - and across from Lacus, and the only empty seat at their table was beside her. He quickly sat down in the vacant seat.

"Morning." He said.

"Hiya Kid." Mu greeted before going back to his food.

"You didn't get any marks on your armor did you? You know I hate to see it damaged." Kojiro warned.

"Don't worry, it was only Ghost's group, you know they don't have more than arrows. The armor is fine." Kira said, appeasing Kojiro's worries.

"So Kid, how did you sleep?" Mu asked, finishing his meal and attempting to steal from Kojiro's.

Kojiro snarled at Mu and shifted his food away from Mu before Kira could reply.

"I slept peacefully for the first time in five years. No nightmares, just … peace." Kira replied, picking at his food.

"Peacefully hey? I wonder why?" Mu mused mockingly.

Kira glared at Mu as another thought slipped into his mind. _Where did Lacus sleep last night? Holy crap I'm getting bad at this._ He turned to Lacus, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"So … uh, how did you sleep last night?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Mister La Flaga was gracious enough to lend me his room for the night. I slept very peacefully." She replied, smiling.

Kira turned to Mu in amazement, and Kojiro simply went on eating. Mu shrugged.

"What? I couldn't just leave her hanging now could I? It wouldn't have been becoming of me, and as a gentleman it was my sworn duty." Mu said semi-romantically.

Kira shook his head in disbelief as Mu and Kojiro started to laugh. Lacus looked at all three of them with a very confused look on her face. Finally, the leader of the rebellion looked at Lacus with an apologetic face. She smiled in return, nodding that she understood. He looked at her tray, and seeing that it was empty, leaned over to her.

"You all done?" he asked as politely as possible.

"Yes, thank you."

He stood up and took both her tray and his own and started towards the kitchen. Lacus' voice stopped him before he got more than two feet away.

"You didn't finish your meal Mister Yamato." She noticed.

Kira noticed that Kojiro and Mu had stopped laughing and were instead listening intently. Most everyone else in the mess tent continued eating, oblivious to Kira's current misfortunes, but it seemed to him as if Tolle and Miriallia were listening as well. And he could have sworn he saw Cagalli peeking though the flaps …

"I'm not too hungry right now, and just call me Kira." He replied tiredly.

What sounded like giggles followed him all the way to the cooks. Instead of turning around to re-join Lacus, Mu and Kojiro, Kira instead made his way to Tolle. His friend looked up from his half-finished meal and from Milly.

"Uh, what's up Kira?" he asked.

"We'll debrief when you're done eating." Kira informed them.

Tolle and Milly nodded before Kira walked off, leaving the mess tent. Lacus stared at his retreating form as Mu held his head in one hand.

"Not again." He muttered.

Kojiro only shook his head in disbelief. Lacus was again confused, but the motions both men made looked so practiced and used, she assumed Kira did this frequently. Mu took the time to explain to their guest.

"Kira devotes himself to a task until it is complete." Mu stared.

Lacus nodded, she knew this from when they were both at Copernicus, and it was something she liked in the boy, devotion without blindness.

"Unfortunately we don't get the honor of many guests; usually all of the newcomers we get join the rebellion and become soldiers. Kira is used to that. The boy is a bit lacking in proper etiquette on how to deal and treat guests, even guests that he knows personally, such as you." Mu went on.

"Something in his mind deems the guest less important and he goes off to deal with business as usual, going over reports and formulating plans. And by the time he remembers that there's a guest in the camp …" Mu left the last part unfinished.

As if on cue, Kira burst into the mess tent and quickly took a seat by Lacus muttering an apology while hiding his blushing face. Lacus giggled lightly before putting her hand on one of Kira's.

"That's alright; I understand you've got a lot to do." She told him earnestly.

His blush deepened. _He looks very cute when he's blushing, more than he did when we were kids …_ Kira noticed Lacus looking at him, but before he could speak, Mu stood up.

"Well, I've got to send the Hawks off for patrol and then I'm going to go practice, you want to tag along Kid?" Mu asked.

"Yeah, sure, I just have to debrief Tolle and Miriallia first, and then I'll join you." Kira accepted, standing up as well and looking for Cagalli.

"Sounds good, invite Tolle as well, we can always use another body."

"I've got to make sure my crew isn't slacking off, and make sure you two don't damage anything else." Kojiro said, pointing a finger at Mu and Kira as he stood up.

"Aye sir." Mu and Kira said together.

Kojiro passed Cagalli on his way out and Kira waved her over.

"Cagalli, could you give Lacus a tour while I debrief Tolle and Milly?" Kira asked.

"Sure thing." Cagalli replied.

"Thanks!" Kira looked over at Tolle and motioned with his head that they should start the session.

Tolle nodded in reply and spoke something to his girlfriend. They both got up and met Kira halfway between Lacus and Cagalli and their recently vacated table. The three of them walked off without a word, leaving Cagalli and Lacus alone. Cagalli scratched her head nervously for a second, trying to think of a good place to start. It wasn't often that they received guests, and it was even rarer that said guests were permitted a guided tour of their camp.

"Uh … so this is the mess tent as you can see …" Cagalli started a little weakly.

_Kira's going to get it when I'm done this tour … or is this his pathetic attempt at payback? You've got a lot to learn little brother._ Cagalli thought evilly. Smiling nicely at Lacus, she motioned for the pink-haired girl to follow. They left the mess tent and stepped outside into a sunny and warm day, a light breeze flowing every few minutes.

"Mmm, so warm." Lacus said, closing her eyes and soaking in the rays of the sun.

"So over here is the main barracks, where most of our troops rest." Cagalli resumed walking; pointing out what was easily the largest tent in the camp.

"That tent must hold hundreds of people …" Lacus breathed in awe, following Cagalli.

"Yes, it can hold many soldiers. Unfortunately, the size of it makes it a prime target if Zaft were ever to find this base. Easiest way to win is to take out as many enemies as quickly as you can without losing too many of your own." Cagalli explained.

The couple walked over to another tent, this one much smaller than the barracks tent. Just outside the tent were assembled men, almost 20 of them, and standing in front of them were two men, one of them Mu and other Lacus didn't know.

"You know how Ghost operates, but I can't stress this enough: be ready for anything." Mu finished saying.

"The man to Mu's right is Gale, the second in command of the Endymion Hawks." Cagalli whispered to Lacus as they walked closer.

"This is how we're going to work this; squads one and two will leapfrog each other, squads three and four will do the same. Keep both eyes open and back each other up. Dismissed!" Gale ordered.

The assembled Hawks split into four groups of five, with Gale joining the first squad, apparently as the leader.

"Good luck to you all, and may Strike be with you." Mu said.

Wordlessly the men ran out of the camp and quickly disappeared into the woods. Mu turned to the two ladies walking towards him and smiled broadly.

"Well what do we have here? Two pretty ladies come to bid farewell to the gallant Hawks as they embarked on their dangerous mission?" Mu asked, pouring the emotion on full.

"In your dreams La Flaga, I'm giving Lacus a tour of our camp while my brother debriefs Tolle." Cagalli said, crossing her arms.

Mu raised a closed fist to his heart and acted as if he had been shot with an arrow. "Such cruel words from such a fair maiden, oh how did I ever wrong you, and how can this humble one atone for it?"

Lacus started to giggle at Mu's dramatic acting.

"A tour you say? Well then, I hope you don't mind if I tag along, I'm waiting for Kira and Tolle to finish." Mu said normally as he slid in between Lacus and Cagalli and put an arm around each of them.

Cagalli was about to tell Mu that he wasn't invited when Lacus spoke up.

"I'd be honored if you'd join us Mister La Flaga."

"Call me Mu." Mu shot a quick smirk off at Cagalli before he led both of them towards the forge where Kojiro Murdock and his smiths were hard at work.

Kira paced around the command tent as Tolle and Mirialli recounted their recon mission along the Zaft border, and the subsequent rumor hunting that had eventually left Sai and Kuzzey still searching the wild for any clues to Flay's whereabouts.

"And then we snuck by the decimated remains of Ghost's attack squad and you decided to practice your bedside manners on me." Tolle concluded.

"So for the first time in a long time the grand armies of Zaft have assembled. This can only mean one thing: they intend to finish us off once and for all." Kira said.

"Going up against Aegis, Blitz, Buster, Duel and Providence all at once isn't something I'm looking forward to." Tolle replied.

"None of us are, which means we'll have to step up on our raids to gather supplies and as many recruits as possible. Sooner or later Zaft will send out an army to remind the country that they're still in charge, and that's when we'll strike. We can't fight the combined armies and hope to live, but we can wear one army down to the point that it won't be much of a threat to us." Kira replied.

"That's going to be hardest on you Kira, you're the only one who can match the leaders, and even Mu has expressed his doubts about going up against them." Miriallia told him.

"That's a risk I'm going to have to take because I'm not willing to give up after this long. I will not let Zaft rule the lands with an iron fist unopposed!"

"And this is the command tent, which Kira practically uses as a second living quarters." Mu's voice reached their ears.

And then a flap opened, allowing Cagalli, Lacus and Mu to file in. Mu paused at the sight of Kira still inside the tent, and then noticed Tolle and Miriallia.

"Tolle! Just the person I wanted to see. Kira and I are going off to practice when he's done, want to join us?" Mu asked.

"Uh … sure." Tolle replied uncertainly.

"Speaking of which, we are done the debriefing, aren't we Kira?" Milly asked, still seated.

"Uh, yeah. Dismissed, thanks for your time." Kira agreed.

"Good!" Mu clapped his hands once. "Miriallia, I'll let you take my spot so you can help Cagalli give Lacus a tour. Kid, Tolle, let's go."

Tolle and Milly stood up, and Tolle kissed his girlfriend quickly on the cheek before following Mu out of the tent. Kira stood there motionless for a few seconds and then walked towards his sister and Lacus.

"Lacus, this is Miriallia Haw." Kira introduced them without having to be reminded.

"Please to meet you." Lacus greeted the auburn-haired girl.

"Thanks Cagalli, Lacus I'll see you in a little while." Kira quickly followed Mu and Tolle, disappearing from the girls view.

"Well that's our camp in a nutshell." Cagalli finished.

"Let's go watch them practice." Milly suggested.

"What are they practicing?" Lacus inquired.

"They usually practice their sword techniques, but sometimes they do archery. On a day like today they'll do swords, it won't be enough of a challenge to do anything else." Cagalli explained.

"That sounds exciting to watch, I agree, we should go see them." Lacus said.

And the three girls followed the boys to an open field. Mu, Kira and Tolle were already there, wooden swords in hand, as they faced off against each other. The grass was low enough that it wouldn't impede with their footwork. Cagalli, Lacus and Miriallia sat on the green grass as the boys stood still for a moment, a breeze playing with loose hair and clothing.

Quick as a flash Mu darted forward, lunging at Kira, who easily deflected the attack before slashing at Tolle who was advancing towards them both. Tolle blocked as Mu recovered, swiping at both of them quickly, forcing each one backwards a few steps. Tolle launched a series of feints against Mu, and Kira took advantage of the situation, bringing his sword down with and overhead slash aimed at Mu.

Mu blocked and twisted his body to avoid Tolle's thrust. Disengaging his sword from Kira's, Mu lashed his foot out at Tolle, who blocked the blow with his forearm and swept his sword in a wide circle, making both Mu and Kira jump backwards to avoid being hit. Free of each other for a moment, all three brought their swords back into a guard position, gauging each other.

"Woah, they're fast." Lacus was amazed at their skills.

"They never cease to amaze me." Mirialli agreed.

Kira feinted against Tolle and then tackled Mu to the ground before using a handspring to jump back to his feet. Mu rocked backwards onto his arms and launched himself to his feet, using a quick toe-lift to get his weapon back. Tolle lunged at both of them, batting away their swords and sweeping in with a back roundhouse kick. Mu ducked, but Kira caught the full force of the blow on his right shoulder and was sent crashing to the ground a few feet away from where he was standing.

Lacus gasped in surprise. "They don't pull their attacks?"

"They go all out against each other; they figure it's the best way to hone your skills, pretend whoever they're fighting is their real enemy." Cagalli said, still watching them intently.

With Kira out of the way for a few seconds, Mu flicked his wrist, sending his mock sword flying at Tolle with deadly accuracy. The boy quickly batted the incoming impromptu missile out of the way with his own sword and raised it in both hands as he charged Mu. Mu slid under Tolle's arms and came up, head butting him hard under the chin, dazing him. Before Tolle could fall down, Mu grabbed the boy's arms at the wrists and turned his body, jutting his hip out while pulling on his wrists to send Tolle flying towards Kira.

Kira dodged the human missile and grabbed his sword off the grass and charged at the weaponless Mu. Mu dodged the quick thrusts and slices with inches to spare each time. Tolle stood up unsteadily and shook his head painfully, eyeing the fight between Kira and Mu. He threw his sword at them, hoping to hit either of them. The wooden missile struck Kira in the back, sending him off-balance with the unexpected attack.

Mu took advantage of Kira's delay and twisted his sword arm to force the boy to release the weapon even as Tolle ran towards them. The pressure was too great and Kira released the sword, which Mu deftly caught and swung at Kira's unprotected ribs. A sharp cracking sound echoed as Mu struck, sending Kira once again flying.

"Kira!" Lacus cried out.

Cagalli cringed, Mu was holding nothing back, and he must be working out the anxiety and anger that remained after Ghost's attack last night. Kira hit the ground with a soft thud; he was out of the fight now. But Mu had swung too hard and it left him exposed in the front as he tried to bring the sword around to guard as Tolle reached him.

A sharp front kick sent the sword flying from Mu's grasp as Tolle followed up with a punch aimed at Mu's solar plexus. He wheezed as air was forced out of him, forcing him to take precious seconds to get his wind back. Tolle didn't delay, he snapped out with a high roundhouse kick.

Unfortunately, Mu recovered faster than Tolle had anticipated and blocked the kick. A spinning back kick from Mu sent the younger boy flying backwards. Tolle quickly recovered, standing up for a second before suddenly dropping into a kneeling stance, clutching his stomach in obvious pain.

"I guess that's enough for today." Mu panted.

Lacus rushed over to Kira, who was trying to stand up while holding his ribs. Miriallia quickly made her way to her boyfriend while Cagalli quickly realized that the practice session had lasted less than five minutes.

"They're getting faster at beating each other up." She muttered in disgust.

"Kira, are you okay?" Lacus asked worriedly, helping the boy to his feet.

Kira grunted, either from the pain or in response and cringed as he stretched his right side out. Popping sounds were heard, coming from his shoulder and ribs, and Kira gasped in pain and would have collapsed if it wasn't for Lacus holding him up.

"I've had worse." He replied, holding back the pain as best he could.

"If your ribs are broken then they'll need to be immobilized, so let's get you back to your tent." Lacus said.

Kira looked at her with a confused expression. Lacus raised her eyebrows and explained. "What? I've had a lot of time on my hands with the war raging on, my father wouldn't let me out of the castle without at least 10 armed guards, and I don't enjoy walking with people who won't talk back, so I read a lot of books."

They walked back to Kira's tent as quickly as the injured boy could manage with Lacus helping him. Mu walked up to Cagalli to take a quick moment to look at the retreating couple.

"They would make quite the couple, wouldn't you think Cagalli?" Mu asked, smirking a little.

"That they would." Cagalli agreed.

Tolle and Miriallia joined them.

"I'd say they're sweet on each other." Milly proclaimed.

"Problem is, neither of them know it, or realize it." Tolle agreed.

"Kids these days." Mu muttered quietly.

Cagalli, Tolle and Miriallia looked at him as he quickly realized the company he was currently keeping. Mu grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I've got a few things that Kira wanted me to finish up, so I'd best be off. Later, and thanks for the practice run Tolle!" Mu took off like a bat out of hell.

Not too many soldiers saw Kira and Lacus together as they entered his tent. He quickly sat heavily down on his bed, still holding his ribs. Lacus tore a few strips of fabric from the bottom of her dress and grabbed two sticks from Kira's table.

"Take off your shirt." She commanded.

Kira tried, but couldn't raise his right arm more than halfway up before the pain got too intense. Lacus realized her mistake and gently helped to take off the shirt. It was the first time she had seen him half-naked, and she had to admit he had a well-toned body.

Well developed pectoral muscles above a defined six-pack of abdominal muscles offset only by the ugly bruise on his right side. She gingerly poked it, causing Kira to shy away in pain. Lacus muttered an apology and got to work. Within minutes, she had fashioned a split around the ribs in question to keep them immobile to aid in their healing.

"You'll probably have to wear something a lot looser so you don't knock the splint loose." Lacus said, turning away so she wouldn't stare at his chest any longer.

_Oh my god, he's very defined! I don't think even Athrun looked that good with his shirt off …but then again I've never had to bandage him up._

"Thank you Lacus." Kira said.

She turned towards him again and bowed politely, and then noticed an old scar on his left collar bone. Lacus sat down on the bed beside Kira and traced the old would with her finger.

"What happened?" she wondered aloud.

"I got that almost five years ago … " Kira started.

The math added up in Lacus' mind, and she realized that the massacres started five years ago.

"You were …" she started.

"I'm from Heliopolis, the first target of the Zaft massacres, and this scar came from protecting my sister."

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Lacus apologized, tears of sadness welling up.

"I can't change what happened, no matter how much I want to."

"So what happened?" the question popped out of her mouth so quickly she almost didn't believe she had just asked it.

But she did ask it, and although Kira hated recalling his tragic past, he felt more at peace around Lacus than around anyone else, and oddly enough, started to tell her the tale of the destruction of Heliopolis.

_"Cagalli, are you alright?" Kira was thirteen, helping his sister up._

_"I'm fine, but where's mommy and daddy?" she asked worriedly._

_"I … I don't know." Screams echoed all around them as more villagers were cut down for no reason that Kira could comprehend at the time._

_A glimmer of light along the ground caught Kira's attention, and he quickly realized that it was a sword. He dived for it, picking it up and feeling a little safer with a means to defend himself and his sister._

_"Little brat thinks he can wield a sword?" a scornful voice asked from behind Kira and Cagalli._

_They both turned to see a flame red-haired boy standing over them, a sword of his own gripped tightly. The attacker couldn't have been much older than Kira, but here they all were, fighting._

_"Don't even think about it." Kira said bravely, raising the sword and stepping in front of Cagalli protectively._

_The older boy charged at Kira and swung hard. Kira barely blocked in time, the force of the blow knocking him sideways a few feet. He quickly recovered and lashed out to stall the attacker._

_"Not bad for a little brat like yourself, but I've been trained by Zaft!" he announced proudly, striking at Kira again._

_Kira was expecting another grandiose attack and dodged underneath the boy's arms and brought his head up hard into the attacker's stomach. As the boy stepped back in surprise, Kira swung high, the tip of the sword managing to slice through the neck, spraying blood everywhere._

_"Rusty no!" someone else screamed angrily._

_In an instant Kira was flat on his stomach, having been knocked down from behind. His sword flew out of his very limited vision so he rolled over to see who was attacking him. This boy was much older, at least eighteen and had blond hair._

_"I am Miguel Aiyman, and you have killed Rusty. You WILL pay."_

_Kira managed to get his to his feet before Miguel's oddly dull sword bit deep into his left shoulder. The boy screamed in pain as Miguel cruelly tore the blade out and prepared to finish Kira off. A look of shock and surprise crossed Miguel's face, and he turned around to see Cagalli there with an angry look on her face._

_Kira took notice of his lost sword imbedded deep into Miguel's back._

_"Cheating little brat." Miguel managed to utter before falling to the ground, dead._

_"Kira, are you alright?" Cagalli asked worriedly._

_Well it was obvious that he wasn't, but they couldn't do much about his wound in the middle of a losing battle against Zaft. Cagalli grabbed her brother's right hand and pulled him to his feet._

_"Come on, we've got to find help, I think there's a village only a few miles away!" she said._

_Kira didn't want to leave, not without finding out what happened to his parents and friends, but if they didn't get his wound bandaged quickly, he would die, and then Cagalli would be alone, and that was something he wouldn't allow._

_The twins ran off into the night, leaving their burning village and dying people behind._

"And by the time she and I returned, the fires had been out for a long time. The men from the other village came with us and they were horrified to see the devastation we had suffered. We managed to find a few survivors, and they took them back to their village to help them, but it wasn't long before news of another village being destroyed reached us." Kira finished his rather gruesome tale.

Lacus was absolutely horrified. There was no way that Athrun could even think about attacking innocent villages for revenge or on his father's orders, and she even unconsciously voiced that, albeit rather quietly. Kira still heard Athrun's name from Lacus' mouth and looked at her with a bit of sadness.

"So it is true then." He said.

"What's true?" she asked.

"The rumors of King Zala wanting to unite the lands with an arranged marriage between his son Athrun and the daughter of Lord Clyne, namely you Lacus."

"You know Athrun?" Lacus asked.

"He was in most of my classes at Copernicus, but his father called him back after two years." Kira replied.

"So that's what got you so broken up back then … you weren't too forthcoming with the details." Lacus teased him.

"Well I'm just glad you were there for me." Kira thanked her.

Lacus leaned her head on his shoulder, and Kira put his good arm around her. She looked up into his eyes and he stared right back, unable to look away, even if he wanted to. Their heads slowly moved closer together, their eyes closed and their lips mere inches apart …

"Kid! Incoming storm and it's a big one!" Mu burst into the tent.

Lacus jumped at the sudden intrusion, nearly falling off the bed from surprise. Kira looked up with a worried look.

"A storm now? That can't be a natural occurrence so that means that either Zaft of Ghost is doing a lot of spell-work. We've got to lock everything down now."

Kira stood quickly, only to fall back onto the bed in pain as his ribs flared with pain. Mu looked at the splint and the hints of the ugly bruise in surprise.

"Did I do that?"

"Kira's not in any condition to do much of anything right now." Lacus said, putting her arms protectively around Kira.

"We don't have a choice, either we lock the camp down or we lose everything." Mu retorted.

"Mu's right Lacus, don't worry, I won't strain myself too much." Kira assured her, standing up a lot slower this time.

"Then I'm helping too."

"We don't have time to argue Kid, besides she can help."

They stepped outside to a radically different world. The clouds were grey and black, roiling around threateningly, thunder booming after the constant lightning strikes. There wasn't a patch of blue sky visible to them, it looked like someone blocked out the sun.

"Let's get to work!" Mu said as the wind picked up, whipping loose objects and clothes around.

The rest of the camp was running around, attempting to secure everything as the storm raged on. Cagalli and Tolle could be seen helping out the smiths with Kojiro. Kira was about to issue orders when a powerful lightning strike hit the ground. Lacus cried out in fear as Kira covered her while Mu ducked down.

"This isn't good Kid, I think this storm was purposely sent." Mu shouted, trying to make himself heard over the now constant thunderclaps.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Kira shouted back, "Go help the command tent, Lacus and I will help the barracks!"

Mu nodded and ran off to help out as Kira and Lacus made their way to large barracks tent. Men were scrambling around the base to hold it down.

"How are the supports going?" Kira yelled, hoping that one of them would hear him.

Seemingly in response, the tent folded in on itself, the support poles having finally been pulled, but as it collapsed the wind picked, howling fiercely as it pulled the stakes out of the ground and send the large tent flying right at Kira and Lacus.

* * *

_Well, sorry for the long wait, lots of good stories popped up on FanFiction, and by the crap I swear I'll do my best to review them! On a slightly off-topic note, there's a Gundam CCG coming to North America, and it looks decent, but my problem is I know very few people who like Anime, much less mecha series like Gundam. Remember, I live in Canada!_

_Back to the topic, please Review after reading, it always brings joy to see reviews (good or bad, constructive or otherwise)_

_Thanks, from Prayer_


	4. The Winds of Silence

Lacus gasped as she backpedaled futilely, the large tent flying towards them as the wind switched directions. Despite his injury, Kira ran forward, transforming on the go. As the tent threatened to engulf him, the thrusters ignited and Kira darted off to one side, grabbing one end and quickly changing directions to grab the other end.

In a matter of minutes, he had the tent folded up loosely as the other men grabbed netting to secure it to the ground. All around them, the rest of the camp collapsed as the storm, whether natural or magical in nature, raged on.

Kira aided with two more tents before collapsing to his knees, armor rolling back as he clutched his ribs. Lacus made her way to him as quickly as she could manage, battling the wind every step of the way. Finally, she made it and gently helped him to his feet again.

"There's … a shelter … nearby …" he managed to say, shouting to be heard over the howling winds.

Lacus nodded and about to ask where when Mu helped to support Kira on the other side. Mu pointed to the group of men huddled near a small hill. She nodded in understanding and they fought their way to the shelter.

It turned out that the shelter was a well-stocked bunker deep underground. Mu explained on the way down that it was to save any women, children, injured and sick from Zaft should they ever discover the camp. It was easily capable of holding hundreds of men comfortably, and it easily supported the camp as they made their way down.

Those who made it in first lit the lamps and started to take a count of the people streaming in. It seemed as if Kira, Mu and Lacus were the last three to enter the shelter. Cagalli was helping the injured and Tolle was busy finding more supplies while Milly tagged along.

"Get a … head count …" Kira panted.

Mu was faster than Kira anticipated. "All present and accounted for, less than half wounded or injured. Food and water should last for several days, but I'm not too sure about the medical supplies, they're always scarce." He reported.

Kira nodded slowly. "Then we just have to ride out the storm."

"Yeah, about that Kid, I still think-" Mu started.

He was cut off with by Kira's hand. "Not now." He said in a quieter voice.

Mu saluted quickly and then left to help with the injured. Lacus guided Kira over to a secluded corner – well, as secluded as one can get in an underground shelter – and gently lowered the boy to the ground. Once he was in a half-sitting half-laying position, Lacus herself sat down and pulled him in close, keeping one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulder.

Kira moaned softly and rested his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes to enjoy their brief moment of peace together. She stroked his cheek lightly and slowly looked around the rather large shelter.

There was only the one entrance which doubled as the exit and most of the able-bodied men were near it, ready to block the stairs down at a moments notice or help everyone out. Support pillars were place every ten feet, Lacus guessed they must be underneath a hill to provide more cover on top. Storerooms, some crudely fashioned and others neat and tidy, were along the wall left of the entrance, assuming you were coming down.

Those rooms had to contain the food and supplies necessary, Lacus saw no other places to store anything other than people. Perhaps the only thing lacking from the shelter was defensive positions, but then perhaps they simply didn't have time to put them in yet.

Kira, she noticed, had fallen asleep again, exhausted from his wounds and over-exerting himself to battle the fierce winds. Lacus rested her head on his as Cagalli dropped off some food and water for both Kira and her. Lacus nodded her thanks, moving slowly as to not wake Kira.

"Take care of my brother alright? He needs something to cherish, someone to love." Cagalli whispered.

Lacus blushed and nodded. "I will, don't worry."

Cagalli smiled as she appraised her brother and Lacus for a second. _They look so cute together; I hope Kira realizes the feelings she has for him._ "Thanks." Kira's sister walked off to deliver more food and water to the other temporary inhabitants of the shelter.

_Someone to love? She doesn't mean that Kira … no, I'm sure he considers us friends, and even if he didn't, he's really busy with the rebellion. I don't want to distract him or hurt him._

She gazed fondly at Kira, still sleeping soundly on Lacus. It was then she noticed one of his arms was wrapped lightly around her waist, as if afraid to hold tight but at the same time afraid to let go.

A sense of ease settled over the room and Lacus' eyes drooped and soon enough she fell asleep on Kira, just as he fell asleep on her. She was pleasantly surprised to wake up with Kira's innocent looking face directly in front of hers. It seemed as if she had been asleep for only a matter of minutes, but they had slept for hours.

"Hey." He greeted her, a small smile lighting up his features.

Lacus stretched shyly. "You're up."

Kira looked around to see if she was talking to anyone else, and then turned his attention back to her. "Oh, me. Yes, I'm up. Nearly everyone else is asleep."

She gave him a confused look. "Okay …" she said slowly, not seeing where he was taking this.

Of course, Kira had little idea where he was taking this as well; he was more of just saying whatever popped into his head without thinking twice about it. "I thought we could … you know … talk." He scratched his head nervously.

"Sure." She agreed and took his offered hand to stand up.

Half-way through getting up she heard something pop in Kira's body and he nearly dropped her. Lacus quickly stood up the rest of the way and braced Kira on herself. "You have to be more carefully, ribs don't heal overnight you know." She scolded.

He was unabashed as they moved to the far corner away from everyone else and sat down again. This time Kira lay flat on his back while Lacus folded her skirt and legs beneath her, positioning herself right by his head.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Lacus asked.

"Well …" he started, another blush rising. "You."

"Me." She repeated, as if she was expecting it.

And in a way, she was. Cagalli's little comment about Kira needing someone to love got her thinking about Kira even more, and her dreams concentrated less on them together and more so about them in the future.

And when she thought about the future, war was the only thing that came to mind. Kira wouldn't stop his rebellion because of some girl he knew and definitely wouldn't stop until Patrick stopped. Unfortunately, Patrick wouldn't stop until Strike was writhing in agony at the royal leader's feet, screaming out for forgiveness.

It was something that made her shudder. Kira took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. "Zaft childhood Ghost socks."

Lacus burst out laughing as Kira slapped his head in stupidity. "Sorry." He apologized quickly. _Stupid stupid stupid!_ He mentally berated himself. _I can face down Duel any day at any time, I can transform into Strike, Zala's most feared enemy and yet I can't even talk to a friend?_

"I don't get the socks part." Lacus said, suddenly stopping her laughter.

"What?"

"You said 'socks'. The rest I can see to what you mean, but socks? What's that referring to?"

"Uh … well …" It was a good question, and Kira didn't have an answer that made total sense; or any sense at all. To him it was just another word his mouth somehow managed to form; it always seemed to mess up around Lacus.

He took another deep breath and forged ahead, managing to arrange his words so they made sense. "I can't make a decision regarding you. Part of me wants you to go back home, to stay safe and away from the war that people believe I'm the cause of. I don't want to see you hurt Lacus, whether because of me or something else. But another part wants you to stay, here, with me, where I know I can do my best to protect you. Even though you're Lord Clyne's daughter, and engaged to King Zala's son, whenever you're around a sense of peace falls over the camp which is helpful."

As Lacus took this in Kira continued on. "It's been a long time since I've felt this calm Lacus; it feels like the war won't drag on forever and annihilate everything in its path. I need you Lacus." His hand found hers and gripped it. "I want you to stay with us, with me, but I fear if you do then the war WILL drag on forever. Neither I nor Strike will be responsible for prolonging the war unnecessarily."

Kira was about to continue on when Lacus put a finger on his lips to quiet him. "I understand your dilemma Kira, and believe me I'm not sure what I want to do: follow my feelings and be selfish or be selfless and return home. You may seem different on the outside compared to the shy boy I knew years ago, but deep down inside you're still the same."

She returned the grip on his hand, and stared deep into his eyes. "But I'm afraid." She whispered. "Afraid of what will happen, whether I go or stay. I thought that I'd never see you again … and know … I may never again …"

Kira sat up, ignoring the pain that flared in his ribs and embraced his childhood friend gently. He patted her back gently and whispered into her ear. "Don't cry, everything will work out, you'll see."

She hugged him back, clinging tightly onto his neck.

-

Four days passed. Four long days where the winds continued to howl around at a frantic pace. Whatever caused this storm wasn't natural, Kira and Mu were sure of that. Unfortunately, neither man had any idea what Ghost or Zaft was up to. Kira's ribs finally healed, having little strain put on them thanks to Lacus nitpicking everything he did. Which wasn't much apart from conversing with Mu and Tolle.

The Hawks and the two runners were still out there, and Kira prayed that they were safe. On the fifth day, the storm died off just as quickly as it had arrived, allowing the rebels to exit their shelter and survey the damage around them.

Or the lack thereof. There were small twigs and leaves everywhere, but miraculously no trees had been snapped by the incredible forces at work. All of the tents hastily strapped down were still there along with any other equipment that they had been forced to leave outside.

"What the hell?" Mu murmured.

"Well, if it's like this everywhere then there's a very good chance that the runners and Hawks are still alive on continuing their missions." Kira noted.

"True enough." Mu shrugged and faced Kira with all seriousness. "But what about her?" he asked quietly.

"What about her? That's why I sent Jay and Shaun."

"Do you honestly believe that Zala is going to believe that we just happened to find her in our woods?" Mu asked.

"Look, either way the war is taking a step up. Between Ghost and Zaft we won't last long. We've got to strike, and we've got to do it soon." Kira said.

"Wait for the Hawks to come back; they'll have what we need. Plus on the off chance that Zala actually does believe us, we can at least send her home and out of danger."

Kira nodded. _Yeah … home, out of danger …

* * *

_

"What! I'm going to kill him with my own hands! That bastard is going to pay!"

"King Zala, please calm yourself." Rau said.

"Calm myself! Do you have any idea what this could do to the treaty? I need it signed Rau, not delayed because of his daughter!" Zala yelled.

"With all due respect your Highness, we can use this to our advantage against Lord Clyne. I'm sure Strike would be willing to send her back to her own people, and we can escort her right up to her father's throne." Rau suggested.

"Rau … Rau. What would I do without you? Of course it's a brilliant idea. Boy, send word to your damned Strike. We will meet with him at the Redridge Canyon as soon as he can muster himself. Be ready to hand her over." With a wave of his hand, Patrick dismissed Shaun, who promptly ran out of the throne room.

"Assemble the armies Rau, all of them."

"Providence included?" Rau questioned.

"All of them. We assembled them for a reason. Strike will cower in fear at the sounds of our footsteps. The Grand Army of Zaft will depart at once."

"As you wish your Highness." Rau bowed and set off to make preparations so the army could depart as soon as humanly possible.

"He will tremble at our might, and when he runs after handing her over, we will crush him. Revenge will be taken, as is my rightful duty." Patrick said after Rau had left.

"Strike, your days are numbered!"

* * *

Yes I know it's short and it's been a while, but it seemed to me as if "When World's Collide" isn't doing that well, so I planned to retire the fic completely. Something in me compelled me to do a quick chapter, and this might very well be the last one for a long time. I've got other plans most notably one that has an assortment of beta readers, ranging from friends to other authors.  
To those who enjoyed "When World's Collide" I thank you all for your support and I apologize for the possibility of not continuing.  
Do not lose hope, you will see other fics my imagination managed to conceive.  
Do, however, check out my new website, the URL is located in my profile and FanFiction won't allow any links in their stories ... how odd.  
Perhaps I might be persuaded to do another chapter, but we'll see. New job starts tomorrow which will eat a lot of my time training and all ...  
Thanks again,  
-Prayer 


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